I want the PS4 Controller to have a LCD Screen, just to Expose one Person

Playeressence's Furious Francis takes a look at the possibility of the PS4 having a LCD screen on the controller and how he wants to expose one person in the gaming industry with it.
(3DS, Next-Gen, Nintendo, PS Vita, PS3, Sony, Wii U)

I don't think we (technology wise) are ready for screens in controllers. A screen in the controller is great and does add some level of fuctionality but to me screens in controllers really suit being portable whoch is just too costly to do. I say in another 5 years it will be cheap enough to make a tablet style controller (like the Wii U gamepad) but make it portable enough that you can browse the internet, connect with your system, stream games all away from the home (essestially combining the home and handheld markets). The PS vita can do some of those things but look at how much that thing costs and it isn't fully their yet/never implemented. Hey the Wii U gamepad has been rumored to cost a lot. I think Nintendo have jumped the gun here with their gamepad as i don't thing technology is cheap enough to really use screens in controllers.

I believe Nintendo said it would cost $150 to get a new gamepad but i am not sure on that. It could be higher or lower but i know Nintendo said $150 for something to get it new so i think that the gamepad would cost that much.

OT: Having LCD on the controller would be good but i hope it won't be that big or expensive to get.

Can i say the wiiu gamepad is leaps and bounds above the classic pro or ps3/360 controllers it's more comfortable for fps games being wider apart ect,also i'm typing this now on the wiiu browser whilst i watch gun ball rally on youtube on the tv,i use the gamepad as my main browser it's the fatest browser ive ever used,i watch netflix in super HD,and playing black ops 2 on gamepad looks incredible,plenty of benifits for a screen if u can get zero lag like gamepad AMAZING CONTROLLER.

Ever heard of Dreamcast with the VMU? Outside the uncomfortable controller it was "one" of the first to have a screen within the controller itself. If Sega can successfully do some sort of VMU setup so can Sony/Microsoft; may not be as big as a Vita screen-wise but it's not too far off.

You are wrong....simply because to take it away and game you need a processor and one capable of running the same game as a console. Meaning you would need to have an even more expensive controller, that would not come down in price nearly as much as the Wii U gamepad will.

The Wii U gamepad will come down in price to produce it for Nintendo over time. Since it streams the data, it truly is the way to eventually get it down in price. Streaming is cheaper than placing another set of the console chips in them.

I love the gamepad. Still prefer the pro controller for FPS...BUT I love the screen's functionality and at least with BLOPS2 you have the gamepad sitting on your lap to interact with despite using a pro controller....aka best of both worlds imo.

It is pretty comfortable. I have some issues as it cramps up my fourth and pinkie fingers...needs to be fatter at the bottom, but I'm thinking of ghetto modding it by tapping something on the bottom of it to make it fatter (so on the bottom of the back, not underneath bottom). I also think the sticks are too close to the edge. So my thumb is in an uncomfortable position and so the thumb and fourth and pinky finger positions don't mesh well together. Again maybe something that can be fixed by adding a ghetto mod to the left and right side of the unit allow for ones hands to rest on the unit (or the extension really) but not have to be so close to the stick so the thumb rests comfortably.

So it has it's pros and cons, but it is definitely a great addition, especially when you can use it in conjunction with a pro controller.

Some people genuinely love it as is, so there's that as well.

The screen for whatever way it's used adds something. Even just rudimentary inventory would be very helpful in games. Streaming the whole game like NSMBU and BLOPS2 are quite nice. The other interactive features like in ZombiU and soon Aliens: Colonial Marines motion tracker is just the start of a wide range of uses for it.

I may actually buy Madden 2014 on it. Afterall I've only bought one version since they stopped the PC version, 2010.

The problem is though, it is expensive to make, and PS4/720 want to have modestly more powerful systems than the Wii U, thus making it much more expensive to make.

An ATI 7850 and an weak (compared to intel i line) 8 core processor is much more expensive than what the Wii U put in it, but isn't that much more powerful. 2x-3x, which in terms of graphics these days, doesn't deliver that much more improvement, but costs a ton more.

This makes it hard to put in a $165-185 controller in with the console.

But it is possible, at least for Sony to do it if they don't add in any other motion controls. But it would be an expensive console. $500 minimum for basic model imo unless they take a massive loss a la PS3 at launch.

Not for xbox since they have already hitched their wagon to the Kinect 2 and hand manipulator being included. If they wanted a gamepad + kinect 2 + hand manipulator + 7850 gpu + weak 8 core processor, then it would have to be more expensive than PS3 was at launch. I don't see that happening.

They could come out with one on the side later, like the Kinect was an add-on that came out a few years later. But not in the box, at least not the first 3-5 years the 720 was out.

If Sony were to make a controller with a screen in the middle i'd hope they'd be smart about it and make it detachable.

Using the patent Sony has to split the controller in two they could make an attachable screen which fits in between both ends of the controller therefore allowing for people to either game with a screen in the middle or with a normal controller all changeable within a few clicks.

@aqua if the ps4 controller is based of the vita,they can tweak the size of the buttons so it feels better,this article is crap,if cvg reports are right then his argument is flawed,while not mentioning it,they never said it was ment for games but to emulate the experience of the vita.

Please not, it will probably make it less ergonomic. I have no problems with inventory screens and simmilar stuff on the big screen, and the mini-map definitely needs to be on TV. Sometimes you're using the mini-map every 1-2 seconds or so, try focussing in and out, away from the TV at the controller and back, multiple times in a 10 second period while processing the info...that will get you a headache for sure, and probably won't improve your game.

Whenever someone who has played the Wii U for any length of time comes on N4G and says why a controller with a screen doesn't suck (like I'm about to), it always turns into that book Green Eggs and Ham. "No Sam-I-Am, I do not want a screen in my controller." C'mon, just try it!

It's like: "You can control your TV." "I have a remote." "You can browse the internet." "I have a computer." "You can play a game while someone watches TV." "I have 2 TVs." "You and a friend can play co-op and each have their own screen." "In addition to two TVs I also have two PlayStation 3s." "You can hold it up and move it around and it seems like you're looking through a window into the game world. You can use it for on the fly weapon switching. You can use it for video chat. You can plug your standard PC mic headset into it. You can use NFC for some inexplicable reason. You can use it to search for youtube videos even while a youtube video plays on the TV. You can use it for Hulu, Netflix, Tivo and get live play updates for sports. You can use it with Google Earth and Street View to feel like you're strolling around any street on the planet. You can use it to type this very comment on N4G." "It's too big."

All that stuff is just what developers have come up with in the first 2 months. This is no waggle motion control. A controller with a touchscreen is an actual worthy update. Again, I hope PS4 uses it. I HONESTLY think you'll enjoy it.

(edit: I know everything I said might not make it to the PS4 even if it did have a screen in the controller, but most would I'm sure. Heck, Sony would probably have a bunch of better stuff it could do too.)

After looking at my DualShock 3, I can see it having a (2in. X 1-1.5in.) touch capacitive screen on it. After they increase the dimensions by a small degree, and go with a similar PSVita modular button interface design, and even if it only displays messages or other system/game related feed back , it'll be a definite game changer (controller wise) for the PlayStation brand.

But all-in-all I'd like the controller to change, but not by a HUGE degree.

Me neither, and a slightly bigger dualshock controller would be a great benefit for gamers with huge hands, such as myself but not to big where its like trying to play with the VERY first Xbox controller.

People who aren't regularly playing games or actually making games don't know anything about games.

IF you don't play them a lot or don't make them then shut up about them because you don't know what you are talking about.

Tons of people who make games and play them don't even know what they / we are talking about sometimes, so how would a guy who's busy most of the time and doesn't have time to play games as much and admitted he doesn't game a ton....how does this guy know anything about games ?

He doesn't. He's a con artist....and he's fooling millionaires into putting their money in places that only Benefit Mr. Pachter.

He has them put money into A...while he puts personal money into B...and trashed B while telling others to go for A.

Even if sony puts a touchscreen on the controller, it still doesn't validate nintendo's decision on the wiiu. It's still a gimmicky idea that has no real purpose other than having a map or inventory on it, that drives up the price of the hardware.

Even if MS and Sony implement touchscreens, I'm still against it.

I'd rather look at my inventory/map on the TV where I'm looking already, than take my eyes off of the screen to look down at my controller.

Thats what people said about the DS before it launched and early in its lifetime. Give developers time to make some innovative things. Plus your forgetting the multiplayer aspects of the Gamepad. Having a buddy come over to play Black Ops online with no splitscreen is cool. Nintendo Land mini games also prove the Wii U Gamepad can be used for more than maps and inventory screens.

Off screen play - You can watch TV or someone else can whilst playing , this feature has been MASSIVE for me and has literally CHANGED the way I game. Asymmetric play- In Rayman One person uses the pro controller the other uses the touch screen to interact. This is not a gimmick but rather a fresh , perfectly functional new way of thinking about gaming. A normal controller is MORE of a gimmick than that because it can do LESS. Having a screen each for FPS' , like in CoD where 2 players can have their own screen - Not a gimmik but a blatant evolution of gaming.

And like you say touch screen maps , inventory , etc streamline game-play meaning you don't have to pause your games all the time. Amazing.

Sorry but the wiiu Gamepad is far from a gimmik. In fact it does EVERYTHING a Normal controller can do and 10 times more. In simple terms it's far superior in every way to any controller before it which is an indisputable fact.

And if you like old school controllers then you have the Wiiu Pro controller...

Yeah and what happened with the DS? The vast majority of games use the second screen for inventory or maps. The small handful of interesting games doesn't validate having it. Same with the 3DS. How many games are out right now that utilizes 3D in a meaningful way other than simple depth perception? I would rather have a single larger screen.

And the Wii. All the flagship nintendo titles late in the Wii's life didn't use waggle. What does that say about it when the creators don't want to use it?

Also, why would I want to play any HD game for any length of time on a tiny cheap screen like the WiiU tablet? If I don't have access to the best way to play my games, I simply don't play. ie. if remote play ever becomes a thing for the PS3/Vita, I still won't use it. I tested it out with GoW2 HD and it wasn't anywhere near the quality of playing on a big screen with surround sound. I'm not so impatient that I'll hinder my limited gaming time by playing on an inferior screen.

Don't get me wrong, having more options is great! But not at the cost of the higher price.

Just to show I'm not just bashing Nintendo, I seriously hope Sony doesn't include 4k compatibility in the PS4 if it's going to raise the price in any way. I also hope they don't integrate the Move into the next controller.

On Microsoft's side, I hope they don't include Kinect in the box, but I know they will.

The next systems should just strictly be gaming consoles with no other bells and whistles. use that money to make a kick ass system at a low price point like $300-$400. Put in a good gpu, cpu, and give the devs the ton of RAM they've been wishing for.

Alot of people think that the second screen thing is a gimmick. But even though WiiU just launched and the games haven't fully utilized what its capable of. Just playing a game like Darksiders 2 with the GamePad vs Controller Pro is night and day. Equiping items and weapons on the fly, searching the map for additional information or stats is made simple with the GamePad. It takes a short time to get use to because you're not familiar with that much going on in the controller. But it only takes a second to glance down at the pad and make necessary changes while gaming. After all it still has the normal controls and buttons of a full functional controller.

Your controllers are outdated. So you're all for graphics getting better but you don't want to play games differently? Why have a new console if you're not going to do something different with your hardware?

Having a screen on your controller doesn't mean you have to look at it, but then again, you don't know what you're talking about.

FIrelogic, I don't think it's gimmicky at all, I've seen what the controller can do, and with the right creative mind it becomes more than just a regular standard controller. I liked how Zombiiu incorporates it, Aliens COl. wars the controller screen is your tracking device can be used as the scope site on a rifle. Can play mini games similar to grand theft auto china wars where you can hot wire a car hack defuse bombs hold it up to scan objects etc.

My problem is when companies don't try to change the norm of gaming and keep the same design with little to no improvement. Like the six axis, now to me that is a gimmick. The games that actually used it didn't change the experience it was more of an annoyance. Nothing innovative about it.

I love what nintendo does as far as reaching outside of the norm we need companies like that. I can't wait to see what companies like sony and MS will bring to the table with their own version of it.

so far, I've used it in nba2k, madden, zombiiu, mario, and the raymond demo and it's a nice addition and can't wait to see what's next

"He doesn’t benefit us gamers at all, and is no way looking out for our best interest. He’s just worried about his investors"

That is exactly what he supposed to do, look out for his investors. In no way should anything Patcher does in his job be geared towards "benefiting us gamers". His job is to provide information for investors.

Yet Pachter acts like he is looking out for us. Watch his Pach-Attacks. He's spreading bad information to gamers in an attempt to cover his own ass with his investors. You like him deceiving the gamers out there?

I'm surprised people would actually defend this dude. But whatever, you see soon enough. Pachter is a tool. I'll oppose his garbage he spews everytime. I don't have any financial stake in this at all. I can speak openly and freely. Pachter can't say the same. I've sent in multiple questions about the 3DS tearing up the sales charts and he refuses to answer them. And so have many others. He won't answer any postive Nintendo news or sales because it goes against what he's told his investors. Its a conflict of interest.

Notice how he doesn't speak on the Vita bombing either? Yeah cause he's told investors to buy Sony Stock. What about Sony selling their US headquarters to cover all the debts they owe? Or the fact Sony's gaming division lost over 3 billion last year.

Why doesn't Pachter talk about these things? Once again conflict of interest.

I'm not defending Pachter, I'm just saying it's silly to complain that he isn't looking out for gamers. It's not his job to look out for gamers.

And I'm not saying he's doing a good job as a research analyst either, I seldom read anything he says so I wouldn't know. But given the track record of most tech analysts even if he knows nothing he's probably no worse than most others in his field.

I have a former (non-techie) colleague who used to often be on TV commenting on tech stocks and I've called him up a few times to let him know when he's making a fool of himself by speaking nonsense and believing the marketing hype. And sadly he's better than most, yet he recently quite to do something else.

Its not silly to say he isn't looking out for gamers when he acts like he is. Why field questions from them. Why try to have an active relationship with gamers? He knows, gamers can turn into investors, its all about the money.

He doesn't do it because he thinks gamers could become investors, it's all part if his research. He wants to get an idea of what gamers are thinking since they are the customers that will ultimately decide whether a company or product fails or succeeds.

I couldn't care less about whether the PS4 controller has a screen (hopefully DS3s wil be compatible anyway!), but I'd personally love everyone to start ignoring Pachter until he goes away. He's an accountant and forecaster, not a celebrity, and I feel that we're giving him way too much attention...

Well, at least it's not a Super Nintendo controller anymore. best of luck to them. No-one in this business takes Pachter seriously. He's in the business of making money on who does well in the industry.